Unconventional Places to Find B2B Leads

For B2B Leads, many owners and sales reps rely on the same trade shows, industry associations, and networking events. These conventional approaches make sense and sustains business. However, if you aren’t seeing real growth, look for leads in unconventional places. Consider more creative ways to network.

Here are a few unexpected places where your next customers may be:

Volunteer for a Nonprofit

Get involved with a nonprofit—not because you’re there to sell, but because it’s something you care about. You’ll often meet like minded people and business leaders who are open to making new connections.

Many business leaders serve on boards of non-profit organizations for this reason. If you don’t have the bandwidth to serve on a board, volunteering is a great way to network. Doing good deeds, especially in your community, can result in good leads for your business.

Social Media Connections

Social media is a ready-made B2B lead generation tool. It’s quick, cost-effective, and easy to implement. If you are not sure how to get started with social media marketing, begin here Using Social Media for B2B Generation. You’ll learn the pros of cons of gates, targeting customers, way to engage your prospects. It also explains the importance of listening by monitoring.

Community Activities

Like volunteering at a nonprofit, helping with community activities or attending community events is a great way to expand your network. For example, if you sign up to volunteer for a local arts or music festival, you might meet a new circle of people who could potentially become clients.

Simon Mainwearing, marketing consultant, has helped brands grow in both name recognition and size by counseling them on community involvement. According to Simon, companies unlock growth potential when they understand that service is their brand and that each company serves a community. Doing good deeds in your community results to good leads for your company.

“If a brand wants to build social communities, capital and influence, it must become the chief celebrant of its community, not its celebrity. This simple shift in approach unlocks enormous transformative potential for brands.” – Simon Mainwearing

Coffee Shops

If you’re in sales, you need to go where the business owners are. Today, more business owners than ever before work from coffee shops. Those other laptop warriors at the neighboring tables might be your next big B2B lead. Don’t hesitate to introduce yourself and strike up a conversation. Many coffee shops also have community rooms to rent or use for public events like business seminars and lunch-and-learns. Check to see if there are options to host an event at your local coffee shop.

Your Children’s School Events

Involve yourself with your kids school events. It’s a good place to meet a new circle of people. Meeting a wider network of parents can lead to new business contacts. Many schools host fundraisers and parent organizations that are good occasions for potential networking. The other parents who are chaperoning the school dance or selling tickets at the school carnival might be great contacts for your business.

One of the fun aspects of being a business owner or sales person is that every day is full of opportunities to meet new people and be of service. Even in unconventional settings, you might have great chances to network and connect with people who can become your next customers.

In summary, continue participating in traditional seminars, trade shows, and networking events to sustain your business. Look for the non-traditional places where your potential customers are to find B2B leads and grow your business. At Allied Financial, our goal is to help you grow by providing financing when your growth requires it.